Long Beach education leaders say College Promise being fulfilled

LONG BEACH — Despite ongoing economic struggles, enrollment and academic achievement are up at Long Beach City College and Cal State Long Beach five years after implementation of the Long Beach College Promise, officials said Thursday.

In 2008, leaders from the Long Beach Unified School District, LBCC and CSULB signed the College Promise, a commitment that each institution would provide local students with greater opportunities to complete their higher education.

According to a five-year report known as "A Breakthrough in Student Achievement," the number of LBUSD graduates completing college-level (non-remedial) English at LBCC increased by 500 percent over the past year. Those completing non-remedial, college-level math at LBCC increased by 200 percent.

"We're specifically focusing on the improvements we've seen over the last year," LBCC Superintendent-President Eloy Ortiz Oakley said Thursday at his campus during an event commemorating the program. "We made a commitment, when we signed the Long Beach College Promise, that we would get together and report back to the community every year on the anniversary."

The report also showed more high school graduates who are prepared for rigorous college-level classes are enrolling in college.

"We've seen some really wonderful results despite all of the budget cuts all three systems have seen," Oakley said. "We have seen a significant improvement in the number of Long Beach Unified students who are prepared for college and go on to college, which is great news. It speaks to the great job that the Long Beach Unified teachers are doing."

The Promise aim is to improve college access by providing incentives that include tuition-free semesters for 4,000 students at LBCC and guaranteed admission at CSULB for local students who qualify.

"The latest results of the College Promise show that our school district's teachers are better at preparing students for college than many educators thought," said LBUSD Superintendent Christopher J. Steinhauser. "We had a hunch that more of our students could successfully complete college courses, if only we gave them the chance. That hunch is now confirmed, and the College Promise is giving more students that chance."

The report showed the key steps taken by the three institutions since 2008 to prepare more students for success in college and in high-demand, high-paying jobs.

"I wish that what we are doing becomes the norm throughout America - communities working together with their institutions of higher learning and K-12 sections," Steinhauser said.

"I hope there comes a day that we do not send a single student on to higher ed that needs remediation, so that when they start their freshman year, they start with all of (their courses), College 1, math and English," he said.

According to the report, success rates for every demographic group increased, with Latino and African-American students increasing the most.

The partnership between the three institutions has allowed students to learn about college and careers very early, said Steinhauser.

Since 2009, about 26,000 fourth-graders have visited LBCC, and 26,000 fifth-graders have visited CSULB.

"The data included in the report on the College Promise reinforces the old adage that when people come together and make a commitment to solve a problem, things really can change things for the better," said CSULB President F. King Alexander in a statement. "Today's report underscores that the efforts of our teachers, faculty and staff are paying off. We now know that more Long Beach high school graduates are better prepared to succeed in college than they were five years ago."

More than 57,500 students and their parents have completed and signed the College Promise Pledge and Educational Plan.

During the event, 30 scholarships ranging from $50 to $250 were awarded to LBUSD eighth graders who have shown academic improvement.

"The collaborative partnership between our three institutions has provided a seamless transition for local students to be college-ready, leading to the successful completion of college-level courses and put them on the path to economic opportunity," Oakley said. "These past five years, the College Promise has helped prepare students in our community for the opportunity for higher education beginning in fourth grade and continues every step of the way through high school, to community college and onto the university level. We look forward to helping more students succeed in higher education for years to come."